The Ungars – Today’s Top Folk Family?

Rock That Babe, the new CD from the Mammals, hit the stores officially this week leading me to ask the question: If you add together all of Ruth Ungar‘s solo and band work with that of her dad Jay (with step-mom Molly Mason), and mom Lyn Hardy, do you get a chunk of music big enough to make them the most active family in folk today (not working together in the same band)? Along with the Mammals (which also spews family units – Michael Merenda tours with his brother Chris and Tao Rodriguez-Seeger has his granddad Pete appear on the new album), Ruth also sings with The Wayfaring Strangers and with Jay Ungar & Molly Mason.

Whew! Maybe this is just the most recent manifestation of the tradition of passing folk songs between the generations. Play on, family units!

BTW, I saw Jay and Molly play two weeks ago in Kent and it was beautiful. I was catching, as they say, “a train for the coast” the next day and it was worth the effort.